The story of Phillip (Acts ch 8 ) in his mission to the Samaritans and Ethiopians is a story of crossing cultural boundaries to spread the Good News. It is a mission with a sense or urgency and spiritual entrepreneurship.  The culture of today's modern society forces Christian mission of thriving churches to adapt to the complex lifestyles we live in. How the church adapts to these lifestyles is critical to their survival.

The six earthquake changes that are reshaping the church and Ministry:

Generation X'ers are absent from church because they are life learners, risk takers, rule makers, value builders, growth seekers and tech comfortable, everything traditional churches are not.  This generation wants opportunity not seniority, lifestyle improvement not tasks to do, quality relations extending beyond the church, holistic growth and mutual beneficial goals not institutionalism and a portable faith not tied to place preacher or denomination. These people shop around.

Compared to other Australian churches...
                 -  UC people are more reluctant to talk about faith;
                 -  UC people give higher value to traditional worship and caring ministries;
                 -  UC people over 60 are more open to change than UC people under 60.

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Four signs of a declining church system are:
             1.  Maintenance of membership roles by transfer;
             2.  No adult spiritual education and obsession with youth;
             3.  Limited outreach, done by professionals, managed by laity;
             4.  Genetic denominational mission and slow response to new opportunities.

The declining system is all about belonging to an institution, the organisation resembles a well oiled machine requiring an enormous intake of lay energy to service the institutional infra-structure.  It is a socialising process that ends with guarding a heritage.  Clergy are primarily expected to magnetically attract newcomers, preach, visit insiders and manage the institution.

When a church lives in a fog:
              - Participation no longer mirrors the demographic diversity of the community;
              - Planners are more likely to make tactical or financial blunders;
              - Staff are more likely to burnout doing all the ministries;
              - Volunteers are less likely to be creative;
              - Members are less likely to increase financial contributions;
              - The general public is less likely to care about the existence of the church.

The hallmarks of a healthy thriving church are:
            1.  Increasing participation by all the publics in a truly cross-cultural environment;
            2.  Deepening adult spiritual growth within and beyond church, using multiple methodologies;
            3.  Multiplying hands-on volunteer ministries in action/reflection mission teams;
            4.  Increasing the impact of the Gospel locally and globally, networking micro and macro worlds.

Healthy, thriving churches are all about changing individuals and society, and the clergy leaders are intent on reaching the lost.  The organisation resembles an organism with shoots of ministry quickly expanding in surprising directions.  It is a growth process that empowers individuals to expand a mission.  People are changed, gifted, called, equipped and sent out in teams.  Clergy are expected to motivate and coach others to do ministry, and envision next steps in outreach.  

Thriving churches are so clear that the values, beliefs and mission are readily visible to anyone and no explanation is required to interpret it.  It is revealed in the lifestyles of the members because:

               - Participation and programs mirror the demographic diversity of the community;
               - Planners can make major changes to property or worship programs without needless debate or conflict;
               - Leaders are more focused, creative, and cooperative;
               - Financial giving accelerates;
               - The public cares about the church.

                  - Multi-track worship for mission purpose and target public group;
                  - Aim to change lifestyle, not to provide services;
                  - Deploy lay leaders and mentors, rather than programs and curriculums.

Gift:  Help people to help each other discover spiritual gifts, celebrate their unique individualities and define their experience with Jesus on their own terms.  These are not assimilation processes, but partnerships for discovery that lead to a desire to walk with Jesus in the mission field. Tactics are:

                  - Focus on spiritual gifts, rather than task assignments;
                  - Concentrate on adult spiritual growth;
                  - Offer alternative learning and growth strategies.

Call:  Mentor believers to discern their own destiny that will fulfill their lives and bless humanity.  These are not recruitment or nomination processes for an institutional agenda, but deep spiritual quests that result in members informing leaders what the mission agenda for tomorrow will look like.  Tactics are:

                  - Let mission emerge from the spiritual growth of the people;
                  - Appreciate the diversity of the public;
                  - Target leverage points.

A "leverage point" is any tactic or strategy that will simultaneously bless some group not currently represented or under-represented in our church AND intentionally destabilise or disharmonise the congregation to force people to grow.

Equip:  Train leaders to do whatever they are gifted and called to do with the highest degree of excellence possible. Equip them to function as spiritual entrepreneurs in mission teams.  These are not the optional opportunities for a few, but the expectations of "membership" as "maturity" and "ministry" become one.  Tactics are:

                 - Large lay continuing education budgets for volunteers;
                 - Embed core values, beliefs, vision and mission (defined consensus about core identity);
                 - Train attitudes, skills, and team principles.

Send:  Coach servants to function in true entrepreneurial teams, simultaneously doing good stuff and sharing faith motivation, out in the community.  This is not a process of accountability but a "dance" of self discovery, destiny discernment and quality mission.  Tactics are:

                 - Simultaneous evangelism and social action;
                 - Deploy people in cell groups or teams;
                 - Provide 24 hour support.

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The Key Questions for a shift in attitude
These questions must be answered in the hearts of clergy and core leaders then communicated and mentored to the people:

         1.  What is it about my experience with Jesus this community cannot live without?
         2.  With our first breath and last penny, will it be "Me" or "Mission"?
         3.  Are we prepared to lose a few "controllers" for the sake of many "seekers"?

Leaders can anticipate five frequently asked questions:
         1.  How long will it take?        -      It takes as long as it takes to deal with the stress;
         2.  Will everything change?     -     Yes, the whole flow becomes different;
         3.  Who will do it?                 -     Every person will be transformed along the way;
         4.  Can we avoid scandal?      -      Never!  It is always very public and stressful.
         5.  Will new people come?       -     Yes! More importantly some will go!

            - Core values are the positive, predictable behaviour patterns you reasonably expect
               every member to model in their daily living.
            - Bedrock beliefs are the principles or stories you can reasonably expect members to
               turn to for strength in times of need.
            - Motivating vision is the song in the heart embedded in every member, the mere recollection
               of which elicits joy and demands to be shared with strangers;
            - Strategic mission is the audacious goal that elicits enormous sacrifice from members,
               captures the imagination of the community, and can be printed on the side of a bus.

The stress will include:
Denial, discomfort and fear of change itself.

Strategies 
Focus on adult faith building, transforming worship to be indigenous and experimental, and building lay leaders as spiritual giants.

The stress will include:
Controversy over music, recognition of inadequate skills, some members feeling uncomfortable. 

Strategies:
Re-write job descriptions, deploy volunteers, increase training of lay people, and shift clergy priorities from chaplaincy to pragmatic outreach. Pay special attention to changing clergy roles and building a shared team spirit. Define clear boundaries rather that listing tasks.

The stress will include:
Controversy about traditional clergy roles of visitation, letting go of management by the church council, overcoming the spiritual and professional plateaus of leaders.

Strategies:
Streamline the organisation, boundary thinking rather than task, re-orientate the council from management to visioning, and multiplying mission teams and cell groups. Pay special attention to developing true teams, streamlined management.

The stress will include:
Resistance to partnerships and structural change, misplaced demands for consensus management, and mistimed denominational loyalty.

Strategies:
Re-prioritize stewardship, multi-track everything, building an equipping culture, and grow new networks of support.  Pay attention to replacing traditional strategic planning with innovative ministry mapping.  The thriving church is always innovating.

The stress will include:
Defining the degree of risk the congregation is ready to handle, assimilating many newcomers, helping veterans who feel marginalised understand and grow, and countering critique from denominational colleagues.

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